The James River is blue catfish heaven, where catching a fish 20 to 60 lbs is common and catching a fish weighing over 80 lbs not unheard of. The current weight citation size for a blue cat is 30 lbs. The James River record for a blue catfish is 102 lbs 5 oz. The VA state and world record blue cat is 143 lbs caught out of Kerr Lake. The old state record 109 lb cat, also from Kerr Lake is currently swimming around in the Bass Pro Shops aquarium in Ashland. Sadly, the current state/world record cat did not survive to be released or displayed.

  Also present in the river are channel and flathead catfish, largemouth and striped bass, crappie, sunfish, gar, carp, white perch, and shad. Atlantic Sturgeon can also be seen jumping during certain times of the year and are the subject of an ongoing restoration effort.

   My name is Greg Cummings, also known as "Nightfisher" on the various fishing forums that I am a member of. I fish the James River here in Virginia several times a month for monster blue cats. I am neither a tournament fisherman, or a professional guide, nor do I claim to be an "expert" on fishing. I just enjoy catfishing and want to share some tips and techniques I have picked up along the way. This site was created to give basic advice on the tackle, tactics, and gear, required to catch trophy blue catfish, as well as provide a resource for finding information on tides, lodgings, guide services, and local fishing tackle stores for those coming in from out of the area. When I first started fishing for these huge catfish I had a rough start and it took me quite a while and a lot of trial and error to start catching good fish. The internet was a big help, but I found very few sites that gave all of the information in one place and none specifically for the James River. After a few years of learning the ropes and becoming pretty consistent in catching fish on the stretch of river I like to fish I decided to create this site to shorten the learning curve for others that might be interested in getting into the sport. I won't tell you exactly where to fish, but I will tell you all the basics you need to know to get started and catch some big fish.